October 16, 2012

On October 10th, prisoners at Pelican Bay State Prison and California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi launched a hunger strike. The hunger strike, which has in total involved five hundred prisoners, coincided with the date of an announced racial cease-fire issued by prisoners in Pelican Bay referred to as the PBSP-SHU Short Corridor Collective. The group, which consists of several prisoners who are said by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to be leaders of criminal prison gangs including the Aryan Brotherhood and Black Guerilla Family, issued a call for all prisoners to cease racial conflict and urged unity among prisoners across California.

It has been speculated that because this same group also lead the historic hunger strikes that took place last year, prisoners misinterpreted the October 10th date to launch a hunger strike.

Inmates on a six-day hunger strike at the state prison near Tehachapi are raising objections over new state policies on how gang members are identified and treated, state officials say.

Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton said those policies have yet to be implemented and are under review by the state Office of Administrative Law.

As of Monday, 161 inmates within segregated cell blocks at the California Correctional Institution, called the Security Housing Unit, continued to refuse meals, Thornton said. The fasting began on Wednesday with nearly 300 inmates at Tehachapi, as well as another 200 inmates in the general prison population at Pelican Bay State Prison hundreds of miles away. Pelican Bay inmates resumed eating by Friday, Thornton said.

Family members of SHU inmates at Tehachapi told the Los Angeles Times they were unaware of the protest. Unlike a larger statewide hunger strike last year, Thornton said corrections officials had no warning and little information about the underlying issues of this strike. Some hunger strikers have complained about prison food and property rules, while others are raising complaints about proposed gang control policies.

Today, a letter signed by the Short Corridor Collective and issued to California Governor Jerry Brown declared their opposition to proposed CDCR reforms of the SHU and “‘status’-based, indefinite isolation,” a reference to the fact that the majority of people in the SHU are there for alleged involvement in prison gangs. The letter, which can be read here, does not reference any current hunger strike action.

If anyone has more information about the circumstances of this hunger strike please contact the author at: Sal_SolitaryW@yahoo.com.

I like how these Co’s admit the affects of isolation. I quote from their blog above:

“It is not unusual for prisoners in solitary confinement to become delusional. As a rule, however, delusions of grandeur do not manifest themselves in “the hole.” Nonetheless, the “Short Corridor Collective” has developed a group delusion — They are calling shots in the prison system.

Truth is, this group is as impotent as it is isolated..

A couple of the comments made after the article:

1) I hope the Investigators carefully review this manifest. Seems like it could be a coded message in there somewhere.

2)…probably is just a coded message to the Homies.

3) Having observed the “Word” sent out from hardcore inmates, back when I shared gang intelligence with parole agents, I suspect there are coded messages in that text meant for shot-callers and street operatives.

So the CO’s claim the inmates are both delusional when they believe they can influence the General Population and are sending coded messages to their imaginary forces both inside and outside prison.

Which is it?

One note I found several other sites with similar views expressed with some too distasteful to repeat.